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Dr. Bob is Robert Hsiung, MD,
bob@dr-bob.orgShown: posts 1 to 11 of 11. This is the beginning of the thread.
Posted by Lainy on January 30, 2004, at 21:22:55
I have chronic nervousness, that as not responded to medications. I have been on practically every SSRI, Benzo, diazapam, etc. -- far too many to list.
I wake up in the morning with it, and it does not leave me all day. Some days are quite difficult to get through while others are manageable.
I recently had a hospital stay for it. The psychiatrist in charge of me said it was due to me being over medicated. Well, it's been 4 months since my hospital stay in which I was detoxed. I am now only on Paxil and Klonopin. Funny thing though . . . my symptoms remain the same -- I guess the doctor was incorrect in diagnosing me.
I wonder if others have this problem and what, if anything, has belped them.
Posted by Chairman_MAO on January 30, 2004, at 22:50:37
In reply to CHRONIC NERVOUSNESS...can you relate?, posted by Lainy on January 30, 2004, at 21:22:55
Please describe your nervousness. That is, how it makes you feel physically, what you think, and which aspects of life it interferes with. Also, how long have you been feeling this way?
I ask this because what a lot of people consider "anxiety" is actually a lot more complex. For instance, I used to think that benzos and SSRIs were what I needed. I am now on desipramine and Trileptal and have the same anxiety relief that Klonopin gave me.
I find it odd that Klonopin is not helping. Perhaps your anxiety is a manifestation of an existential/spiritual crisis that meds alone won't fix ... ?
Posted by shadows721 on January 31, 2004, at 0:04:30
In reply to CHRONIC NERVOUSNESS...can you relate?, posted by Lainy on January 30, 2004, at 21:22:55
Yes, I can relate to the chronic nervousness. I also have a history of severe child abuse. Medications help me, but do not do away with it. It is really a painful existence in being so nervous all the time. Unfortunately, I have a tremor that everyone sees. People can see that I have nervousness. I say things backwards or the wrong word. I spell incorrectly too. I think that my mind is working in overdrive on the past. The past haunts my mind with pictures of things that terrorize my present existence. I have Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD). I have to constantly tell myself this is now and that is the past. Whenever I get into a fuss with someone, I have a frightening fear they will abuse me physically. I have been in therapy for years to deal with my over reaction to simple situations. It's like an abused child is at the control switch of my life. It is disabling. So, yes, I can really identify with the pain of suffering chronic nervousness. I have to remind myself to take deep breaths a lot too. I find I constantly breathe in a very shallow manner.
Hypervigiliance is at the root of my chronic nervousness. My mind states to the body, "You are never safe. You must watch everyone and everything. Therefore, you can't make a mistake. Mistakes means deadly things will happen to you. You must be liked or you will pay a price. Drugs are not safe. People are not safe. Living is not safe. NOTHING is safe." That is how I felt as a 3 years of age.
Of course, this is an internal warfare of the mind. The adult self trying to persuade a 3 year old to let up the control switch and let the imaginary guards down in the mind. It feels like the mind is at war with itself, so the result is major depression and paralyzing anxiety. It is a Hellish painful existence.
Posted by crazychickuk on January 31, 2004, at 7:17:24
In reply to Re: CHRONIC NERVOUSNESS...can you relate? » Lainy, posted by Chairman_MAO on January 30, 2004, at 22:50:37
Awww my heart goes out to you shadow, there will one day be a miracle drug... i can smell it in the air..
I am also so very nervous, i can not look ppl in the eye, i constantly think that big men will abuse me, i was never abused as a child but have always been a mummys girl and never liked men much...
Donna
Posted by Lainy on January 31, 2004, at 11:47:56
In reply to My mind says to the body, You are NEVER safe., posted by shadows721 on January 31, 2004, at 0:04:30
Shadow...I can not properly express how I felt while reading your post to me. I can't imagine the pain and suffering you have endored and still do.
I feel sadness for you, and I hope that one day you will no longer be haunted by the troubles and worries that engulf you.
Lainy
Posted by Sabina on January 31, 2004, at 13:19:49
In reply to CHRONIC NERVOUSNESS...can you relate?, posted by Lainy on January 30, 2004, at 21:22:55
you didn't mention if you'd tried an antipsychotic (typical or atypical) to address your symptoms. the reason i ask is that what both you and shadow describe pretty much sums up my life until about eight months ago. i have always been nervous and suffered trauma as a child. some days it was unbearable and my tolerance level seemed to decrease the older i got. i was afraid of everything, both rational and irrational fears. i had a visible tremor and was hypervigilent to the point where i would become exhausted and sick. i reacted violently to ssri's and benzos only dulled my senses.
i was looking for something to just take the edge off my nerves without knocking me out. in my case, the miracle drug was an atypical antipsychotic. i'm currently on an extremely low maintenance dose but it is still enough to keep the demons off me, plus i sleep better than i did before. i no longer jump at every little sound (and i don't *imagine* sounds anymore!), i'm not so nervous about trying new things, and i'm not afraid that i'll never see my husband again when he leaves for work (every day!), etc. i will tell you that lots of people hate atypicals, just like a lot of people are anti-benzo, but this is what worked for me. there were side effects at first, but i will say that sticking with it was one of the best decisions i've ever made, due to the peace i have now that i thought would never be possible. mind you, i'm not talking about sedation *or* mania. i mean that i'm simply not nervous, jumpy, and scared anymore.
i couldn't stand to read about your pain without posting to you about a class of drugs that completely turned my life around when i had previously resigned myself to being that way for the rest of my life. i only wish that my grandmother would have been able to have taken something like this. her entire life was consumed by worry, fear, and nervousness. i hope you guys find some relief. i know that feeling like that all the time is truly a living hell. i did it for thirty-five years.
Posted by Sebastian on January 31, 2004, at 23:02:31
In reply to CHRONIC NERVOUSNESS...can you relate?, posted by Lainy on January 30, 2004, at 21:22:55
I have the exact same problem.
Posted by Lainy on February 1, 2004, at 12:29:49
In reply to Re: CHRONIC NERVOUSNESS...can you relate?, posted by Sebastian on January 31, 2004, at 23:02:31
How do you deal with your nervousness? Do you work...if so, how are you able to get through the day...?
I have a job that is on-call...so I never know when I will be working...it adds to my stress and nervousness. However, I really don't want to leave my job because I am a substitute teacher and one day hope to have a permanent assignment.
Lainy
Posted by CareBear04 on February 1, 2004, at 16:46:47
In reply to Re: meds options *shadow ?Lainy, posted by Sabina on January 31, 2004, at 13:19:49
Sabina, what atypical are you on? Have you noticed any side effects or has it been completely a miracle drug for you? Please let us know!
> you didn't mention if you'd tried an antipsychotic (typical or atypical) to address your symptoms. the reason i ask is that what both you and shadow describe pretty much sums up my life until about eight months ago. i have always been nervous and suffered trauma as a child. some days it was unbearable and my tolerance level seemed to decrease the older i got. i was afraid of everything, both rational and irrational fears. i had a visible tremor and was hypervigilent to the point where i would become exhausted and sick. i reacted violently to ssri's and benzos only dulled my senses.
>
> i was looking for something to just take the edge off my nerves without knocking me out. in my case, the miracle drug was an atypical antipsychotic. i'm currently on an extremely low maintenance dose but it is still enough to keep the demons off me, plus i sleep better than i did before. i no longer jump at every little sound (and i don't *imagine* sounds anymore!), i'm not so nervous about trying new things, and i'm not afraid that i'll never see my husband again when he leaves for work (every day!), etc. i will tell you that lots of people hate atypicals, just like a lot of people are anti-benzo, but this is what worked for me. there were side effects at first, but i will say that sticking with it was one of the best decisions i've ever made, due to the peace i have now that i thought would never be possible. mind you, i'm not talking about sedation *or* mania. i mean that i'm simply not nervous, jumpy, and scared anymore.
>
> i couldn't stand to read about your pain without posting to you about a class of drugs that completely turned my life around when i had previously resigned myself to being that way for the rest of my life. i only wish that my grandmother would have been able to have taken something like this. her entire life was consumed by worry, fear, and nervousness. i hope you guys find some relief. i know that feeling like that all the time is truly a living hell. i did it for thirty-five years.
Posted by Sabina on February 1, 2004, at 23:59:54
In reply to Re: meds options *shadow » Sabina, posted by CareBear04 on February 1, 2004, at 16:46:47
i didn't like to mention before as i didn't want to seem like i was pushing a particular drug over another. i don't know how often this class of drug is actually being prescribed to people and with what range of symptoms, but seroquel was the atypical antipsychotic that helped me with what i had previously referred to as being "nervous," but what i now know as bipolar II. it doesn't really matter what i call it, of course, because my grandmother spent her entire life in much the same condition without a label of any kind.
i would call it a miracle drug for me, yes, because it gave me a peace of mind that i never imagined possible. whatever the chemical action of this drug, it was exactly what i needed to feel right for the first time ever. even as a small child i would wake up from sleep so worried as to make my parents call various people we knew (it was probably only 9pm, really) to make sure that they were alright. i could never relax and was always too frightened to enjoy life.
i'm not saying that i'm absolutely "torment free" now and that there were no side effects (at first). i still have mood fluctuations due to monthly hormonal changes, but i'm not suicidal like i was before. also, there was definitely a period of side effects to get through. still, i would characterize it as no worse than the "mental static" that gripped me periodically before taking it, so there ya go. then again, at that point i was also turbo detoxing from an ssri (lexapro. my last!), for which i had NO tolerance. in any case, the break-in period didn't last long at all.
i have heard that zyprexa is a preferred atypical antipsychotic 1) if you can afford it and 2) if weight gain isn't an issue. it is "new and improved," has a lower side effect profile, can be taken "as needed" for immediate relief without being sedating, etc. i sound like a commercial, so why am i not on it? 2) weight gain *is* an issue, and zyprexa packs a wollop. maybe in the future, after menoopause, as needed...maybe then i can manage it; but not now. anyway, i'm already well set on a small dose of seroquel, so why disturb it?
good luck to any and all who venture into the atypical world searching for relief. i'm fascinated by the chemical makeup of our brains: how i could have reacted so negatively to ssri's when they have helped so many, etc. i don't know much at all about how any of it works, i'm just glad that it does.
Posted by Sebastian on February 2, 2004, at 11:08:20
In reply to SEBASTIAN ...nervsousness and work » Sebastian, posted by Lainy on February 1, 2004, at 12:29:49
The stimulants were making me nervous. I think I was taking too much. Galon of caffine, 300 mg wellbutrin, and 2.5 mg abilify. Then I take 10 mg zyprexa, and am calming down.
This is the end of the thread.
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